The draw for the opening round of the KNVB Beker has officially set the pairings for 26 matches involving 52 teams across professional and amateur Dutch football, featuring just a single head-to-head clash between Eredivisie opponents as Sparta Rotterdam prepares to host Fortuna Sittard.
Conducted on Friday evening during the ESPN program De Voetbalkantine, the draw sorted twelve Eredivisie clubs, sixteen Keuken Kampioen Divisie sides, and 24 amateur outfits into the upcoming knockout fixtures. The ties will take place across Tuesday 27, Wednesday 28, and Thursday 29 October, according to the tournament structure.
Format, Exemptions, and Amateur Advantages
Six clubs representing the Netherlands in European competition this season receive automatic exemptions from the first round. PSV, Feyenoord, NEC, FC Twente, Ajax, and titleholder AZ bypass the opening phase entirely, entering the tournament in the subsequent round.
For the participating amateur clubs—representing the Tweede, Derde, and Fourth Divisions—the draw carries a built-in hosting guarantee. Rules dictate that any amateur side paired against a professional opponent automatically secures home-field advantage for the tie.
Among the lower-tier participants, JOS Watergraafsmeer enters as the sole remaining Fourth Division club in the main tournament. The Amsterdam amateur side advanced following a penalty shootout against TEC, a match complicated by a temporary stadium lighting failure just before the decisive kick.
Key Professional Pairings and Division Clashes
Beyond the lone Eredivisie meeting between Sparta Rotterdam and Fortuna Sittard, the draw produced several notable fixtures matching professional outfits. FC Groningen will host FC Emmen, Helmond Sport faces Willem II on home turf, and Go Ahead Eagles travel to face Koninklijke HFC. SC Cambuur makes the trip to play VV Kloetinge.
In the Keuken Kampioen Divisie bracket, VVV-Venlo squares off against Vitesse, while FC Eindhoven meets FC Volendam. Additional lower-tier match-ups include De Treffers against Heracles Almelo, MVV Maastricht versus Excelsior Rotterdam, and PEC Zwolle taking on TOP Oss.
Other pairings drawn on Friday include VVSB against EVV, Kon. HFC versus Go Ahead Eagles, and HSV Hoek playing Sparta Nijkerk. GVVV draws VV Noordwijk, ACV Assen meets AFC, and RKAV Volendam squares off with ROHDA Raalte.
The remaining fixtures pit Quick Boys against Eemdijk, Purmersteijn against VV Gemert, BVV Barendrecht versus RKC Waalwijk, and Telstar against Almere City FC. FC Utrecht welcomes Kozakken Boys, Excelsior’31 faces ADO Den Haag, and Excelsior Maassluis hosts sc Heerenveen.
Rounding out the 26 fixtures, Roda JC plays De Graafschap, JOS Watergraafsmeer meets NAC Breda, Rijnsburgse Boys takes on FC Den Bosch, and SC Genemuiden squares off with FC Dordrecht.
Next Steps and Match Schedule Confirmation
The KNVB will now enter consultations with participating clubs and local authorities—known in the Netherlands as the ‘lokale driehoek’ consisting of the mayor, police, and public prosecutor—to finalize precise match dates and kickoff times for the October fixtures. The governing body will release the exact schedule at a later date.
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